Dark Tower Arc
by SwordKArt
Summary: A few years after the famous MMO Sword Art Online was cleared, a new game came to light. Dark Arts Online. The game is based around 'The Dark Tower.' And it tests the strengths of two players. Join Kirito and Asuna, as they embark on a journey they never expected. (NOTE: Alicization Arc NEVER HAPPENED)
1. Chapter 1: The Request

**HELLO! This is a story that I have had in my brain, for far too long, and I decided that I would finally write it! **

**Note: This isn't my first time writing a Fan Fiction.**

**Also Note that Alicization also NEVER happened. **

**It is a bit slow at first, cause of the set up and what not.**

**BUT please leave a review so I can improve of what may come!**

**Thanks!**

* * *

><p>Three Years After SAO…<p>

December 8th, 2027.

Last month was the third year anniversary of the completion of the 'Death Game.'

Everyone gathered on that day to celebrate and thank Kirito for saving them from the game. Every year it happens. Every year Kazuto wanted to skip the celebration. Mainly because it digs up memories that Kazuto doesn't want to dig up. But every year Asuna and Sugu make him go.

This year in particular he didn't want to go. Every year it just keeps getting harder for Kazuto. And every year, Kazuto just wants to roll back over, and not get up. But of course, they make him go. All he can do is put on a fake smile, and get through the day.

After the celebration, Asuna and Kazuto go out for a picnic. That is the only thing he looks forward too during the day.

The two of them, alone.

During the night all he can think of are the bad memories. The ones he didn't want to dream of. The ones of death, the ones of sorrow, and pain. Nothing but pain...

_(Present Time)_

The sun's rays surpassed the blinds and straight into Kazuto's eyes.

He pushed himself up and moaned to be woken up at such hour.

It was finally summer break! Kazuto finished his first year in college and was finally on a summer break.

And he couldn't be happier because he could see Asuna more than just at night while playing ALO.

The two love birds already had the whole day planned. They would meet at the park at 12:00, and from there, they would have a nice Picnic in the park.

After their picnic, they would walk through the city, and from there they would walk and talk until dinner.

Sugu already decided that she would make dinner for them as a little treat for finishing their first college year.

Kazuto was ecstatic. The whole day with Asuna.

He couldn't help but smile as he walked down the stairs to meet Sugu at the Kitchen table.

"Good Morning Sugu!" Kazuto claimed, a little too happily.

"Morning… What are you so chippy about?" Sugu questioned with a hint of concern.

"You know. College being out… I am home… I got to see my baby sister this morning…" Kazuto said while pulling out a straight face.

"Riiiiight… So this has nothing to do with you spending the entire day with Asuna?" Sugu said smugly.

Kazuto was about to answer her question, until he got a phone call.

"Hello?" He said answering the phone with a smile.

Kazuto's smile dropped almost instantly when he heard the person's voice.

_Asuna's House_

The whole morning Asuna had a smile on her face.

She couldn't help it, she was just so excited to spend the whole day with the only person that she could ever love as much as she loves him.

Kazuto Kirigaya.

She was dressed up in her usual colors. Red and White.

She couldn't help it but do a little skip down the stairs when she went to breakfast. And she couldn't help it when she started to skip up the street to the park where they were going to meet and where they would start their day.

When she got to the bench, she sat down and pulled out her phone, to check the time.

She nearly gasped, when she found out she was 10 minutes early.

'_What am I going to do?!' _She thought to herself.

"I should make sure I have everything," she said out loud to herself.

She pulled the picnic basket off her arm, and made sure she had all of the food for the picnic. She had Kirito's favorite sandwich, some water bottles to clench their thirst, and a few garnishes to go along with their sandwiches.

After 10 minutes of waiting she didn't see Kazuto.

'_Hmm… Maybe he's running a bit late.' _She thought to herself.

Another 5 minutes dragged by… Then 10…

Then finally, Kazuto was walking towards Asuna with a smile on his face.

'_Hmm. He never runs late when we meet up. He is normally early to our meetings.'_

"Sorry I'm late Asuna," Kazuto said before pecking her on the lips.

"It's okay, but what's the matter? You never run late," Asuna questioned concern in her voice.

Kazuto sat down on the bench before saying anything. Asuna sat down next to him, and she put her hands on top of Kazuto's hand.

Wary was in his eyes. He was deciding if he should tell her the truth or not.

"Kazuto… You can tell me anything. You know that right?"

"Yeah… Yeah I do. It's just…"

"What? What is it?" She asked while leaning towards him.

"Earlier today, before I was coming to meet up with you… I got a phone call from Kikuok Seijirou. The person from the government, who sent me into GGO. He wants to meet up with me and discuss and new VRMMORPG that I need to investigate," Kazuto said with concern.

"Wh-when does he want to meet you?" Asuna asked, remembering when had happened the last time he was sent into a game by him.

"Today. Apparently it can't wait any longer." Kazuto continued. "On the phone he seemed really concerned about this one. Apparently he needs this matter solved pretty quickly."

"Are you going to go meet him?"

"Yes," he simply stated.

"Then I am going to." Kazuto's eyes snapped open and stared at Asuna.

"No, I can't ask you too."

"I don't care," she said coldly. "The last time you were sent into a game, you were in serious danger. Not to mention a handful of people died."

"That's the reason-" Kazuto said before getting cut off by a hand.

"You are NOT going into that game alone. Every time you go into a game to investigate, I get worried sick. I won't st-stand by and w-watch you r-risk your life." She managed to say before starting to sniffle.

"Okay… I won't go without you," Kazuto said while pulling her close to him. "We are in this together from now on."

"Mhhhmhh," was all she could manage to say.

_Later that Day at a Café_

Asuna and Kazuto walked into the Café with their fingers intertwined. They were stopped by an older gentlemen in a suit.

"Excuses me, but do you have a registration?" He warmly.

"Uhh… We are meeting up with someone. He should already be here I would assume." Kazuto said like it was rehearsed.

"Ah, then by all means, walk ahead to our main dining area. And please enjoy." He stated with an odd smile.

The two of them walked ahead of the old chap, with their hands still together. Kazuto gave her hand a light squeeze, as if making sure that she was still there and with him. The room was full of people. Most of them look like they were in the 50's and 60's. No one seemed to be very young here, but one man.

He sat in the middle of the room with a cup of tea in one hand, and the menu in the other, No one was sitting with him, unlike everyone else in the café. The man looked like he was in his mid to late 30's. He was unmistakable, Kikuok Seijirou.

He didn't notice the couple approach him until they were standing right next to the table.

"Oh! Hello Kir-Kazuto!" He corrected himself. "And… Hello Asuna."

"Hello Kikuok," the pair said in unison.

"Please take a seat!" He exclaimed. "You can pick anything you want, I am buying." The couple sat down next to each other, and ordered a cup of tea, and a little treat for themselves. After a few minutes of sipping tea, Kikuok finally spoke out.

"So… How's college? Completed your first year?"

"Stop the casual talk. We are here for what you have to say about the VRMMORPG," Asuna stated coldly.

"I see… Well I was going to wait till we had our meals, but why not jump right into it." He said taking one last sip of tea. "Ever since the seed was planted, thousands of VRMMORPG's have started to pop up. Since you could download it onto any computer for free, and create your own world.

In the past few months, there have been several reports about a certain MMO. Nothing bad as sprung up about it, just that the creator of the game is one of the most known players. He is famous for PK'ing. His online name is: Red-X."

"Red-X…" Kazuto pondered. "That name seems very familiar…"

"In his game, he created a program that makes it so that if you are 'marked' you can't transfer out of the game. When you're marked, he takes you into a 'Testing Arena.' And from there, he and several of his followers, 'test you.' If you pass you are considered to be one of the strongest, if not, you are not to leave the game. Making you unable to 'Full Dive again."

"Couldn't you make another account?" Asuna asked.

"Nope. Something with his program makes it so you can only log into that game."

"What's the name of the game?" Kazuto asked.

"Nightmare Online. Also called NMO for short." He answered Kazuto.

Kazuto remembered rumors about that game. Kazuto recalled that you need to of met an amount of requirements in order to have access to the game.

"Don't you need to have met a number of requirements in order to play the game?" Kazuto asked Kikuok.

"Yes you need to have completed 3 MMO's. One is Sword Art Online. Which you both have completed. Two, is called Dark Arts Online, or DAO for short. And we have not discovered the third and final one." Kikuok answered.

The waiter finally arrived with our food. Asuna was ready and she started to eat it after the waiter had left us to out meal. A few minutes passed and Asuna finished her Chocolate Cake. She had a bit of Chocolate on her face that she was unaware of.

"Wait, DAO… I have heard of that before." Kazuto started to space off.

Dark Arts Online…

He heard rumors about that game, apparently it's a bit like SAO, but more complex and a lot more too it then what meets the eye.

He remembered that only the strongest players are able to come close to beating the game. It was released a little while after Kazuto played GGO. But in that time span, no one has come close to completing the game.

"Kaz-u-to," Asuna spoke, finishing her dessert.

"Hmm? Sorry, I spaced out again didn't?" Kazuto look at Kikuok and spoke. "Dark Arts Online… Isn't it an MMO that came out after we completed Sword Art Online?"

"Yes. In order to play Nightmare Online one must successfully complete DAO," he answered.

"But in the past few years, no one has been able to ascend to the top." Kazuto replied.

"Precisely, and the main reason for that is because of the games structure." He stated, sipping his tea.

"And what do you mean by that?" Asuna inputted.

"The game was designed by a well-known gamer. His online name is 'The Prodigy.'" Kikuok stated, than took a sip of tea. "He constructed this game based on two players working together. Meaning, in order to play the game, two players must work together. If one of the players dies so does your partner. Meaning, the player's lives are intertwined.

The game is based around a place known as 'The Dark Tower.' 'The Dark Tower' is a little like Aincrad, from what we have heard. But much past the layout of the game, we don't have much more knowledge.

Asuna pondered on the idea of two players working together. Asuna and Kazuto worked together, but on a much smaller scale. They worked together and they didn't worry that if one died they both would. But in _that_ game, it was different.

"Moving aside that rule. When the two players complete a floor of the tower, they get transported to the next floor. But, if they players die, then they have to restart that floor. If they die three times, they restart the whole tower. Without their equipment and their level is reset." Kikouk said the last of his findings.

"So you want Asuna and I, to go into this game, and to finish the game. And that's it?" Kazuto questions

"During our research of Nightmare Online, we couldn't find out the third game you need to complete." He retold. "But, we have information that the creator of the game, does indeed have information about the whole Nightmare Online game."

Kazuto needed a minute to think over all the information that was just thrown at him. Kazuto was defiantly interested in this game. Not just the fact that it's one of the hardest, just the fact that two players need to work as one.

In that time he needed to process the information, he managed to finish his dessert and study Asuna's face.

After a few minutes, she finally looked up at Kazuto. Brown meets Onyx. Normally their gaze would show passion, comfort, and love. But this time is showed fear, curiousness, and worry.

Asuna broke the silence. "Why do you want Kazuto?"

"Everyone knows he is among the strongest players MMO's have to offer. But all that aside, he was the one who stopped some of the biggest crisis' in the Virtual world for the past few years," saying such words made it seem like he was praising Kazuto.

"And if I reject?" Kazuto simply stated.

"Oh Kazuto… All of us know you won't."

Kazuto looked into Asuna's eyes.

They had a silent conversation, before reaching a conclusion.

"We will do it. Under one condition." Asuna stated firmly.

"And what might that be?" Kikouk questioned.

"After this assignment is over, you leave us alone, and ask someone else who is willing to help you out." Asuna said proudly.

Kikouk pondered on the condition that was presented to him. He took a minute before reaching a conclusion.

"I accept this condition, IF. If we are able to consult with Kazuto on some of the cases."

"I agree," Kazuto spoke out. "That aside, where do we dive in from?"

_Later that night in Kazuto's Room  
><em>

Kazuto lied down on his bed pulling Asuna down next to him. They just stayed there. Bathing in each other's warmth. Before Asuna broke the moment of bliss.

"Kazu, are you sure you want to do this?" Asuna asked quietly.

"I was about to ask you the same thing sweety. And yes. I mean, you would have been very upset if I went ahead alone and attempted the game, but it looks like that's not the case here."

"I just want to spend our summer break together. Going on picnics in the park. Eating at restaurants, and spending out days with Yui."

"We can still have those things, I mean; we won't be in the game the whole day. We can have it so we only dive at night and only for a few hours. And spend our day together with Yui," Kazuto reasoned. "I mean, he didn't give us a time limit in which we needed to complete it in."

"Yeah true… As long as I am with you Kazu…" She said as she started to drift to sleep. "I love you… Kazuto."

"I love you too… Asuna." He replied before they both fell to sleep in each others arms…

* * *

><p><strong>Well? What did you think? PLEASE leave your comments. But please stay positive!<strong>

**I will try to make another chapter by the end of this week. But only if i feel motivated enough.**

**Talking about when they were falling asleep, made me very sleepy, and i don't know how i managed to actually finish the end of it. So again leave your comments please!**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Dark Arts Online

Hello! Thank you to those who reviewed. And AS PROMISED! A new chapter be the end of the week!

Let me tell you. It took me a few nights to write it. But here it is!

Disclaimer: I do not own SAO, all i own is this apple and this cat that tries to type with me.

* * *

><p>"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Kyouko Yuuki, Asuna's mom, yelled at Kazuto and Asuna.<p>

"It's not what you think!" Asuna defended herself, and Kazuto.

_Two Hours Earlier_

The following morning after the meeting between the two, Asuna and Kazuto, and Kikouk, started out great.

When Kazuto woke up in the morning, he felt extra weight in his bed. He slowly opened his eyes, to find a beautiful Asuna sleeping at his side. He smiled at the thought that the two of them had slept in the same bed outside of a MMO, but his eyes snapped opened as if scared of something.

No _Someone._

His eyes showed immediate panic. But decided to let it go for the time being until it was necessary to bring it up. He decided that he wanted to enjoy this moment.

So naturally, he closed his eyes and fell back asleep in the warmth of his love.

They stayed that way for another 20 minutes, until Asuna awoke with a start. Immediately, she started to panic, saying, "Oh no! Oh no!" over and over. Until Kazuto himself woke once more.

"Morning hun," he said so blissfully.

"Kazuto… Were we like this… the _whole _night?" Asuna said concerned.

"Hmm," he moaned sitting up, and took a look at their surroundings. He studied himself, Asuna, and the bed. Before making a conclusion he already knew the answer too.

"Yes," he simply put.

Her eyes looked horrified. She didn't care that she spent the night with Kazuto, but the fact that her parents didn't know she was over his house. Mainly her mother. Asuna's mom wasn't completely warmed up to Kazuto yet. But she finally agreed that she would stop arranging suitors for her. But if she found out about this… Asuna didn't even want to go down that road.

"Worried about your parents, aren't you?" Kazuto asked her in a voice she always knew.

"Yeah… Mainly mom. She would flip."

"Hey, we could say we fell accidentally fell asleep after dinner. Which we did!" Kazuto said. "But other than that, we would be explaining it to her for a week and she wouldn't believe we _just slept_."

"Yeah, she wouldn't understand."

_Present Time_

"You BETTER hope nothing happened!" Asuna's mom exclaimed.

"NOTHING happened! We swear!" Kazuto plead.

By the look on her face, she was starting to calm down, but Kazuto knew that they better be on their best behavior for the next few weeks in order to be off her radar.

"Mom! Nothing. Happened. I promise you this!" Asuna tried once more.

"Ever since Kazuto has come into your life, he was made you more rebellious!"

Asuna stop talking. Cause she knew that her mother was right on the money. Ever since they escaped the death game, Asuna hasn't listened to her parents more these days than before. The only reason was all her mother talked about was getter her "The Right Guy," and not someone like Kazuto. But her mother didn't seem to get it that there was no other guy for her. So she started not listen very well.

After a few awkward moments of silence, her mom started to talk once more.

"Hmm… I will let this one slid, IF, you two be on your BEST behavior. AND I MEAN IT… Kazuto," she said, looking at Kazuto.

"Yes Ms. Yuuki?"

"I have conceded that you are what they say you are. And I am starting to believe that you are the one for my daughter," Saying that gave Kazuto some hope. "But, acts like these make me rethink my decisions. So don't let it happen again. Not without me knowing."

"Yes Ma'am." He replied happily.

_Later…_

Throughout the rest of the day, Kazuto and Asuna spent it together. They were talking about how fair her mom actually was for once. And they started to talk about their first college year. They went on a picnic in the park like usual.

And of course they had Kazuto's favorite sandwich. For old times' sake. They met up with everyone at Agil's Bar.

They didn't say one word about their assignment. They didn't want other people to help them out. Cause of what is at stake.

After they left the bar, the started to go to Asuna's house. On the way, Kazuto got a call.

"Hello?" Kazuto said.

"Hello Kazuto, its Kikouk. Listen, I am going to keep this short cause I have a meeting now, but I left DAO on Asuna's houses' doorstep. If I were you, I would dive in tonight so you can get the introduction and set up over with."

"Okay, if you think that's best."

"I do, that's why I said it." Kazuto rolled his eyes. And hung up the phone, not willing to continue the conversation.

Kazuto tightened the grip on Asuna's hand, making he know something was on his mind.

"Who was that Kazu?" Asuna asked, squeezing his hand in return.

"Kikuok. He said that we should dive in tonight, to get the introduction over with and whatnot."

"But… We don't have the game." Asuna fairly asked.

"He said he left them outside your house. Hence proving, he knows where we live."

"So, I don't think we should dive in from your house, my mom would freak." Asuna pondered for a few seconds. "We can dive in from my house that way mom parents will know where we are, and if they check up on us, they could clearly see we are in-game."

"True… Do you still have that spare Amusphere at your house?" Kazuto asked with wonder.

"Yup!" Asuna spoke happily.

For some reason, Asuna was looking forward to this assignment. She liked the idea that the characters must work together in order or ascend to the top. And that made it possible for the two of them to deepen their connection all the more.

Asuna started to quicken her pace, practically dragging Kazuto along with her. He soon after broke into a light jog, just to keep up with her.

"Slow down Hun!" Kazuto pleaded. "We have the rest of the night!"

Asuna looked at her phone, and it read 7:53. She herself wanted to be in the game itself by 8:00, and end at 10:00 maybe 10:30.

The next 5 minutes continued like this. Every few seconds, Kazuto would plea to stop or at least slow down. But she just ignored his pleas, and quickened them each time he pleaded.

When they finally got to her house, she grabbed the games that were left on her doorstep, and walked into her house.

Asuna walked into the kitchen, where she grabbed two water bottles, one for Kazuto, who was sprawled on the floor, gasping for air.

"What happened to him?" Asuna's father, Shouzou Yuuki, questioned while pointing to Kazuto's body.

"I… We… *pant*…ran…house... here…" Kazuto tried explaining but dramatically failed.

"Okay… now in English Asuna."

"We ran… from the park… to here." She herself was a little out of breath. "We are playing a new… MMO, and I guess I got a little too… excited, so I started to run." She finished.

"Hmm. Okay, sounds good." He started. "Want me to tell your mother?"

"Yes!" Kazuto managed to say, still panting.

"Yes, please!" She said with a smile.

She grabbed Kazuto's arm, and started to walk upstairs. With him still on the floor, all Shouzou could hear was a _bang, _followed with a _bang, _and several more followed that until they finally reached the top.

"Geez Kazuto… Hang in there man…" He said to himself, turning to the living room, where his battle begins… his wife.

Asuna set up both Amusphere's in a matter of seconds. She was about to put hers on, when Kazuto's arm stopped her.

He didn't say anything; his eyes did all the talking.

"Come on Kazu. Let's get this over with." Asuna fake plead.

"We both know you have another reason for wanting to go into DAO." Kazuto saw right through Asuna.

"Hmm…" Asuna thought for a minute. "Can I tell you afterwards? I promise I will."

Kazuto slowly let go of her hand, not sure if it should wait or not. But he knew Asuna would tell him is it were something bad, or he something he should worry about.

Kazuto and Asuna put on their Amuspheres, and looked into each other's eyes.

"LINK START!" They said in unison…

_In-Game: Lobby_

After about 10 minutes, both Kazuto and Asuna, managed to log in and were both in the lobby.

Kazuto was there first, and he was looking around for Asuna, seeing her, he rushed over to her. The first thing they noticed was they both had their old names.

Kazuto has his old name, Kirito.

And Asuna had… well Asuna.

Their avatars look very similar to the ones they originally had in SAO. Kirito had black hair, and black eyes. He was relatively the same size as normal Kazuto, but his face looked a bit different. On the other hand, Asuna looked almost exactly like she does in the real world. She had her brown hair and eyes, and her face was almost like a replica of her real self.

"You look amazing, Asuna." Kirito said with a huge smile on.

"You too, Kirito." Asuna said with an even bigger smile on. He broke the eye contact they had been making for a few minutes.

Up above them is a promoter telling them what to do to pick your partner.

It takes Kirito a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally managed to make Asuna his 'Partner.' Basically what happens is, it likes the two files that are in the Amusphere together. Making it so that they don't work unless either players or partners are on at once. So that's why they advise you know your partner in real life.

Kirito and Asuna took one last look at their surroundings. There was a lot of new players that were picking their partners, but with one click of a button, Asuna and Kirito teleported to the Starting Town.

_In-Game: Starting Town_

Kirito and Asuna arrived in the Starting Town. Looking around, there were quite a few people. They were all wandering around in the market, looking for a better sword, armor, shield, the usual equipment for beginners.

Asuna grabbed Kirito's hand and started walking towards the markets.

"Wow. There sure are a lot of people here." Asuna stated mouth in shock. "I would expect people to be at high level floor vendors."

"Yeah one would think, but remember if we die, we have to restart to this floor, equipment and all." Kazuto replied.

After a good 5 minutes of just looking around, they decided to go look on ahead. They started to walk out of the village, to explore a little more. Before they realized it, they were heading towards the first floors dungeon.

"Uhh, Kirito… I think we should turn around now." Asuna said cautiously. "I mean, we don't know the layout and controls of the game."

"Your right. Maybe we should go back and find someone who would be able to explain the basics."

"Yeah," Asuna said turning around, dragging Kirito along with her.

"Yeah Asuna, we don't hav-"

BAM

Kirito and Asuna were on the floor, with two other players on top of them. Kirito's face was buried in the dirt while Asuna managed to turn her head toward Kirito.

A few moments passed until one of the players managed to get off Kirito.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Was all they both could manage. By that time, the two players were on their feet extending their arms to Kirito and Asuna.

After getting pulled to their feet, Kirito got a view of their faces.

They both were girls, and they were beautiful. One had long brown curly hair, while the other had wavy black hair. The brown haired one had bright blue eyes, while the other, had brown eyes.

The one with the brown hair spoke first, "Sorry! Sorry!" She said pulling Kirito up to his feet. "We weren't looking where we were headed. And we were being chased by these-"

"It's fine. It's fine. Don't worry about it." Kirito interrupted.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Asuna said with a shaky smile.

"Good!" The brown haired girl said. "Ohh- How rude of us. My name is Alisha, and she's Elena." Alisha spoke.

"Nice to meet you!" Asuna spoke. "My name is Asuna, and this is Kirito."

Alisha extended a hand to Kirito, in which he gripped it firmly.

This time, the black haired, Elena, spoke, "Is there any way we can repay you? "

"Now that you mention it, we were just going to look for someone to explain the basic controls for the game," Kirito said, letting go of Alisha hand.

Kirito didn't notice it, but Asuna sure did. Alisha couldn't stop staring at Kirito. But she let it past her, because she didn't know their circumstances.

"Oh! Well we have been here for a while, so we know the basic controls and whatnot." Alisha spoke, still starring at Kirito. "I know this great little bar we can go to. We can go there so we are not at the entrance."

_In-Game: Starting Town's Bar_

Alisha and Elena led Kirito and Asuna to a little bar located in the starting town of the game. It took them a solid 10 minutes to get too, but in no time, they got there. Once the arrived at the bar, they got a table for 4 in the corner. The Waitress came over and each of us got a cup of water. The two girls, briefly showed them how to use the functions, but it was almost exactly like SAO, and ALO.

"So, what would you like to know?" Elena asked.

"Well for one, the layout of the game." Asuna stated.

"Okay," Alisha began. "The game consists of 25 floor levels. Each of which has a little town, and some vendors. But the main market is here in town. This town has the best weapons.

As you should know, if one of you dies, so does the other, and with that being said, you have 3 tries in each dungeon. If you get defeated 3 times in the dungeon, your game is rest, and you have to start from scratch. Weapons, armor, money, everything but skills, are reset."

Elena picked up from there, "Each floor is has one town, and the rest is dungeon. Meaning everything is like a huge maze and puzzle sort of thing. Each floor has a unique set of challenges. Once the challenges are completed, you face off against the Floor Boss.

The Floor Bosses have its own set of rules. Only 3 parties of 2 are allowed in the Bosses Room. And the Boss is ridiculously hard."

They both summed up as best as they could.

"What floor level did the two of you get too?" Kirito asked.

"7." Elena replied. "The 7th boss was OP. We were wiped out completely."

After talking for another half hour, about nonsense, they decided to leave the bar and go on a little expedition.

It was then, when both Kirito and Asuna got a notification saying "Gift: XXXXX"

"Hm?!" Kirito and Asuna said in sync.

"What is it?" Alisha asked.

"When you guys first started this game, did you guys get a gift?" Asuna asked.

"Uhh.. No, why what did you two get?" Elena asked eagerly.

"Uhh, we got a bonus amount of money," Kirito said.

"How much?" Alisha asked.

"500,000 thousand," Asuna replied mouth hung open.

Both girls' mouths were hung open. Kirito and Asuna both had a little attachment letter on the gift.

'_Do your best_

_Kikuok'_

_Time skip: 20 minutes_

After 20 minutes of shopping for armor and equipment, both Kirito and Asuna emerged looking almost identical. They both had 2 colors:

Black

White

Black marking Kirito's color, and white marking Asuna's color.

Kirito's armor look like what his did in ALO. The coat hung down to the back of his knees, and only in the back. It had a few white strips, where they would be appropriate.

Asuna's was the same thing, but white where black would be for Kirito, and black where white would be.

"Good!" Alisha said contently. Now all you two need would be a sword.

After about 10 minutes of sword picking, Asuna and Kirito got their blades.

Asuna got the blade named: Acelion, and Kirito got the blade named: Ecelion.

The blades are known as the "Twin Blades." And the skill that goes along with them is known as, "The Twin Bladers," Using their respected sword, each Swordsman are able to attack 3.0x as fast, and they are allowed to hit a 15 hit combo.

Putting their swords away, they decided to head into the first dungeon with Alisha and Elena.

_In-Game: Floors Dungeon_

They four stood at the entrance to the first task of the floors dungeon. Since it was the first floor, it had to be easy. There were a variety of minions scattered in an open field.

There was about a total of 20 of them scattered around.

Both Kirito and Asuna were of course, Level 1. But they didn't know Alisha's and Elena's level, mainly because it is rude to ask someone about that sort of thing.

"Kirito. Asuna. Do the two of you know how to use sword skills and attack and all?" Alisha questioned.

Kirito and Asuna looked at each other and laughed. Elena looked at Alisha nervously.

"Yeah… I think we are fine," Kirito asked with a sly look on his face. "Asuna, want to show them the extent of our skill of fighting?"

"With pleasure," Asuna replied with a sly look on her face too.

And with that, they two of them took off. Swinging and slashing, and switching in and out to cover each other's weaknesses, was a classic Kirito and Asuna strategy. It took them a matter of 5 minutes to clear all 20 boars.

After they were done, the returned to the stunned pair of girls.

"Uhh… Uhhmm…" Was all that Alisha could manage to say.

"Yeah… we have had experience in this type of fighting," Asuna said, smiling at Kirito.

Kirito looked at his level, and he had grown to a level of 7, while Asuna grew to level 6.

"Well… If that was no trouble for you, then the boss should be a cake-walk." Alisha said with smug voice.

After clearing the next two tasks, which were just fighting more boars, and a few higher leveled bulls, they finally reached the bosses door. The door was different then it was in SAO. This one outside of the door was a large stepping stone. And that is where they have the party wait and be transported inside.

After standing on the stone, the 4 of them were all transported inside The Boss Room.

_In-Game: Bosses Room_

The bosses' room was quite large in size. There were pillars that went along the perimeter of the whole room up till the stairs of the next floor. Looking at the center of the room, the Boss was standing in the center of the room, and too his right and left, they were 4 Mini bosses standing along side him.

The Boss: King Boar

Level: 15

HP: 2,500/2,500

Skill(s):

Charge: The User is able to strike in a blink of an eye

Horn Lunge: Charges up horns, attacks at max speed

Minions: Giant Boars

Level: 12

HP: 1,500/1,500

The King was about 20 feet tall, while his minions were about 10 feet tall. The horns themselves were pretty big. In total there was a total of 5 enemies to worry about, but during the challenges, both Kirito and Asuna leveled up to level 14, so it wouldn't be impossible to defeat.

"Alisha and Elena, I am not doubting your skills, but Asuna and I can take on the Boss himself. Can you two please deal with the minions?" Kirito plead.

"Sure Kiri," Alisha said giving him a seductive look. Asuna seeing this, made her jealous. She knew he wouldn't do anything like that, but she couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Asuna, same strategy as it's always been."

"Got it," she said, putting on her game face.

And with that, the first Boss Battle of many began…

After about 5 minutes of the usual strategy, the pair was able to get the King down to 1,789/2,500. And Alisha and Elena were able to take out 3 of the 4 Minions, and they were working on their last one. Then things started to go downhill…

The King targeted Kirito this time; the King activated his skill Charge and full on hit Kirito. Kirito got blasted backwards, and got knocked into Alisha. And the two got blasted into one of the many pillars.

"KIRITO!" Asuna shouted, momentarily distracted from the task at hand. The King took advantage of that, using his Skill Horn Lunge_, _he blasted Asuna backwards and into one of the pillars.

"Asuna!" He mumbled gently.

Asuna was knocked out from the blast, and her HP depleted to 350/1,400.

Kirito, enraged, went straight for the last remaining minion. Killing it instantly, he rushed to Asuna.

"I'll be borrowing this," he said, borrowing her sword that wasn't being used.

Alisha and Elena just watched what was going on. They didn't know what to do at all, but Alisha rushed over to the lying Asuna, and kneeled next to her. Making sure nothing else can get at her.

While Kirito's mind was in its zone, he crossed the Twin Blades, and activated the skill, "The Twin Bladers." Before checking his HP. 980/1,500.

He charged the Boar, and single mindedly attacked him.

_5_

_10_

_20_

_30_ hit combo, Kirito hit on the Boar, before the King Shattered, Marking the end of the battle.

_In-Game: After Boss Battle_

Asuna woke up a little time after the battle had ended. She was on Kirito's back, being carried from the Boss Room, to the 2nd Floor town.

She looked to see who else was there, Alisha and Elena, before contently resting her head on Kirito's shoulder once more…

* * *

><p>Well?<p>

Please leave comments about the following:

If i should keep the character of: Alisha, and Elena.

Should I do Time skips, or not.

Please, Please, PLEASE review about these things.

Other then that, Have a good week, see ya next time ;)


	3. Chapter 3- Getting to Know One Other

**Hey! Thank you guys so much for the reviews. I am glad you all are starting to like this FF!**

**So please... Enjoy Chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SAO, if I did, I would do so much different!**

* * *

><p><em>In-Game: 2nd Floor Town<em>

After the Boss fight, Asuna was hurt pretty badly. She lost nearly all of her health. It had been what? 5? 10 minutes, since the fight? After they left the room, Kirito was carrying Asuna on his back .

Kirito was worried sick.

The girls, Alisha and Elena, didn't know about their past. The whole ordeal about Sword Art Online. Because of SAO, Kirito kept thinking that if she died, she would really die. But he knew that that wouldn't happen.

'_We aren't in Sword Art Online,'_ Kirito kept reminding himself. _'We aren't in Sword Art Online, we are in DAO.'_

Alisha and Elena were growing concerned about Kirito. They both knew he was taking all this a little too seriously. But he couldn't help it.

After they defeated the Boss, Kirito got a reward for beating the boss.

Kirito got "The Rulers Rings." Which are two rings, one for each player, and they boost agility by 2.0x. And they boost attack rate by 3.0x.

He told himself he would tell everyone about it when Asuna is feeling better.

About 5 minutes ago, they beat the boss and now, they are heading for the little town on the second floor. Asuna was still on Kirito's back, asleep. He didn't want to disturb her until they found a place they would know is safe for her.

Upon entering the town, there was little to no people there. Kirito was shocked by how little amount of people there was. But he soon let it past him, that this game is a fast pace moving game. But he didn't want to dwell on that fact.

The group of four, entered an R&R in hopes there would be people willing to let them use the room for their avatars, because of Asuna's condition.

By the time we went to the counter, Asuna was already starting to come back around. She was starting to stir on his shoulder.

Alisha did all the talking in which he was grateful for. He couldn't believe how much he already owed these two girls, in such a short period of time.

Alisha got the key from the owner of the little place, and she led the four of us to the room. Upon unlocking the door, they found that the room wasn't the biggest one, meaning it only had two beds.

"The owner said this was the only available room for the night, so I guess we will have to make do with it," Alisha said looking at the room.

"Its fine," Kirito replied. He walked to one of the beds, and slowly got Asuna off of his back, and put her gently on the bed. "You both have done enough for the two of us. I didn't expect you both to do so much for the two of us. Thanks are in order."

"No, no, no…" Elena said. "The both of you are the reason why we are here. And by looking at why Asuna ended up like this, you two are either really close, or you both have been through a lot together."

Kirito didn't reply right away. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up, "Both actually… We both have been through hell these past few years…"

"Well it's not our place to ask these sort of questions," Alisha replied while looking at the time. Again, something Kirito has thankful for. He didn't know if he could tell these girls about their past, without making them worry even more. "Well, its 10:20 right now in the real world, and Elena and I have something to do tomorrow…"

"Oh, don't worry about it, you two have done enough," Kirito said, looking into Alisha's eyes. "I am just going to make sure she's alright then we are going to log out."

Alisha spoke up again, "If you don't mind, maybe we could meet up tomorrow here?"

Kirito was stunned by this. He didn't expect her to even say that. He has caused enough trouble for the two of them already.

"…Uh sure!" Kirito said not making it sound very convincing.

"Great!" Alisha exclaimed. "How does 3:30 PM Sound?"

"That sounds good…" Kirito said looking back at Asuna.

Elena spoke out this time, "Well we should go now, bye Kirito!"

"Bye," he said waving as the two disappeared…

_Real World: Alisha's House:_

Alisha took off her Amusphere, placing it beside her as she sat up, looking at the ceiling before addressing Elena.

"Hey Elena," Alisha said as she started to stretch.

Elena responded, "Hey, well they sure are an odd pair."

**(A/N: Alisha and Elena used their real names, and they are best friends in real life)**

"Yeah…" she said starring off into space. She thought about them both, mainly Kirito. How he jumped into the battle because Asuna got hurt.

"Alisha!" Elena said, as she hit her friend over the head with a pillow, knocking her off the bed.

"Owww…" Alisha said while rubbing her head. "What was that for?"

"I know you, more than I would like, so I KNOW you were thinking about _him_," Elena spoke, smiling her devilish smile.

"That's not who I was thinking about," Alisha spoke nervously, while turning red. Alisha stood up, and grabbed the pillow off the floor, and put it back on her bed.

"Well," Alisha began. "He isn't someone you find every day."

"Lish, you just met the guy!"

"Yeah… But still." Alisha send, falling back down on her pillow.

_In-Game: 2nd Floor R&R_

When the two girls left, Kirito pondered on what the girls had said to him. He didn't want to cause them more trouble. They have done so much for both Kirito and Asuna.

Sure, Alisha and Elena could prove to be useful during battling. When Asuna or his health gets in the red zone, we could switch out with them so we may heal. But in the end, it just means more people to protect, and more people to venture with.

For the next 5 minutes, Kirito let Asuna get some rest. But she was starting to stir a little. After another few minutes, he finally decided to wake her up. He sat down beside her and prepared for what was to come.

"Hey, A-su-na," he said poking her check like he did the first night he spent with her. Asuna's eyes slowly opened to see a Kirito above her.

"Hmm…" Asuna said, eyes open enough to see Kirito's face above her own. "Hey…" She said, closing her eyes in bliss.

"Hey." Kirito said simply.

Asuna's eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly. She looked around the room and then her eyes snapped back to Kirito.

"Where are we? What happened while we were fighting the boss? And where are Alisha and Elena?!" Asuna said frantically.

"Well for one, we are in a R&R because you needed a safe place to lie down in," Kirito started to answer his girlfriend's questions. "Two, after you got knocked out I grabbed your sword, then went berserk, killing the boss. And finally, they logged off, but we are meeting them tomorrow at 3:30," he finished with a smile on his face.

Upon hearing all that, it made Asuna feel more at ease. She checked the time to find out it was 10:32.

Asuna fell back down on the bed. Sliding over a little so Kirito could lie down too. He gladly accepted the offer, and lied down right next to her.

"Asuna…" Kirito started. "I think we should head back. I mean, you mother won't be very fond if I stay the night. Mainly because of when happened last night…"

"Yeah you're right," she said, snuggling up close to Kirito, who in return wrapped his arms around her. She wanted to stay like that forever… the two of them snuggling together until they both fall asleep. But she knew that day would come soon.

Kirito nodded, and opened his menu, and logged out…

_Real World: Kirito's House_

_The Following Day_

Kazuto got up the next morning a few minutes before his alarm clock went off. He turned it off ahead of time so he wouldn't have to do it when it actually goes off.

He rolled out of bed and sat on the ground leaning against the bed.

'_Every night,'_ he thought _'Every night without Asuna is torture, always having the dreams about _that_ world. The memories… I don't want to face.'_

Ever since SAO was completed, Kazuto always had dreams about the ones he lost, or failed to protect. Even the death of Asuna played in his head, even though he knew she wasn't dead.

Eventually, he got the courage to head down stairs, to an awoken Sugu.

"Good Morning Kazuto!" Sugu said happily.

"Morning Sugu," he greeted with a sleepy tone.

"You sure got home rather late… You DID tell me you'd be at Asuna's house last night, and yet you got home very late… very suspicious…" she said, eyeing Kazuto down.

Kazuto looked anywhere but her eyes, until he finally got the courage to say, "We were playing a MMO, and we lost track of time."

"Which MMO?" Sugu curiously asked.

"A new one, Asuna and I are just checking it out," he lied to Sugu, mainly so she wouldn't worry about him getting into danger.

"What's it called?"

Kazuto kept getting asked question after question, but he managed to somehow get her to stop asking them, and all the while, getting false information. Because of the danger there lies behind it all.

Later that day, Kazuto and Asuna decided to go to her house to dive into DAO early. So by the time they got to her house it was 2:45.

Asuna wanted to get a level advantage going into the next floor's boss, so she wanted to get a lot of training in before they met up with Alisha and Elena.

Before they put on their Amusphere's, Asuna asked Kazuto, "What do you think about having them join us, in completing this MMO?"

"Hmm… I defiantly think we should consider them joining us, I mean it will help us out tremendously when raiding a boss. By switching out when one team is getting low, but there is the down side of having to protect them when it's necessary," Kazuto answered.

"You have already thought about them joining haven't you?" Asuna questioned.

"Yeah, when they left, I considered the ups and downs, but I think we should party with them," Kazuto stated. "They do have information about a few of the coming floors and the upcoming bosses."

"Yeah, I didn't think about that. But that doesn't change the fact that we need to get a level advantage for this upcoming boss," Asuna replied, while putting on her Amusphere.

Kazuto thought about it for a second, and then lied down next to Asuna on her bed. Asuna grabbed Kazuto's hand, and let their fingers intertwine.

"Link Start!" They said in unison.

_In Game: 2__nd__ Floor Dungeon_

For the next 30 minutes after entering DAO, Kirito and Asuna went from the R&R to the 2nd floor dungeons, where they trained and trained for both of their sakes.

This floor specialized in skeletons. There were a variety of different looking skeletons. Mainly they were equipped with a sword and a shield, and they had a helmet that covered their skull. Some of the skeletons were bigger than one would like, but they all went down the same way.

From all the experience they both gained, Kirito was now Level 26, with 3,095 health. And Asuna was level 24 with 2,980 health. During their training, Kirito learned a skill he had in SAO and ALO, and that skill was, "Night Vision," and Asuna relearned one of her old skills, "Acrobatics."

After the 30 minutes came around, Kirito looked at Asuna and said, "Hey, I think we should start to head back to the town. We are supposed to meet Alisha and Elena in the R&R room we were in last night."

"Okay Kirito!" She exclaimed excitedly. Asuna didn't tell Kirito, but she enjoyed this game. Mainly because Kirito and Asuna are back in a world they excel in. They both HAVE to lean on each other for support, so that's why she hopes that this will bring them closer together then they have been in the past.

They entered the R&R, too find Alisha and Elena already walking towards the two. Alisha had her sword, Klinge, at her side. Her armor was a neutral tone of red and black, while Elena had her sword, Silverlight, and her armor was the same thing.

"Oh, hello Alisha, hello Elena," Asuna said with a smile across her face. The two girls looked up to see a smiling Asuna, and a Kirito.

"Oh! Hey you two!" Alisha exclaimed her checks slightly red.

The four of them walked out of the place together and headed for the vendors. They four of them decided to stock up on supplies, just in case they needed them for today's hopefully boss raid.

They strolled through the towns vendors, and got the basic health potions, teleportation crystals, and some other necessaries.

As they walked out of the town, Alisha walked next to Kirito, while Elena walked next to Asuna, both just chatting away about random stuff. From what Kirito and Asuna saw earlier, the 2nd floors dungeon was pretty big in scale. There are a total of three challenges on this floor. The first one is the basic 20 enemies scattered in an open field.

"Hey," Elena spoke to everyone. "Why don't we switch it up a little?"

"Huh?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah, like Asuna and I be partners, while Alisha and Kirito be partners," Elena stated. "That way since we are all going to be partying together, we all get a feel for one others battle style."

"Hmm… Sounds like a good idea!" Asuna exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Alright," Alisha and Kirito spoke at once.

Kirito looked into Alisha's eyes, "Looks like we are going to be partners," he said with a smile, and in return, she started to blush.

"Ye-yeah! Let's do this!" Alisha spoke out loud.

"And Elena, take care of Asuna for me will yeah?" Kirito said with a smile draped across his face.

"Will do Kirito! You take care of Alisha for me too. She does have a knack for getting herself into trouble."

_In-Game: 2__nd__ Floor Challenge #1_

And with that, the party broke into two pairs, Alisha and Kirito, and Asuna and Elena.

Alisha and Kirito went left and battled the Skeletons to the left, while Asuna and Elena battled the ones to the right.

Before they headed into their first fight, Kirito explained the 'Switching' thing to Alisha. After Kirito taught her how to properly do it, Kirito and Alisha set out on their first skeleton.

Kirito approached the skeleton first. The Skeleton was level 15 and it has 1,400 health. The skeleton was equipped with a sword and shield, and it had a helmet to protect its most venerable spot. Pulling Ecelion from his back, Kirito headed for him. Once the skeleton spotted Kirito, he took off like a dart, and swung his sword.

Much to Kirito's surprise, the skeleton saw him, and parried his sword, but that wouldn't stop Kirito. He swung back, this time with more force, but the Skeleton used its shield to defend himself. Upon getting his sword blocked, the Skeleton countered and made Kirito back off a few feet. This time he dashed straight at it head on, and when his shield was hung out, Kirito launched himself into the Skeleton's weak spot. When the Skeleton was too busy blocking Kirito's lunges and slashed, Kirito yelled,"SWITCH!" making it so Alisha knew it was her turn.

Kirito made one final move, and that was pushing the Skeleton's shield off to his right, and that's when Alisha made her move. Alisha drew Klinge, and slashed her sword in an upwards motion, knocking off its helmet, making it shatter as it hit the ground, then she delivered the final blow in the Skeletons weak spot.

Marking the end of the Skeleton's days…

Kirito was shocked of how swiftly Alisha moved. It seemed like she has played multiple MMO's in the past.

"Good job," Kirito said, extending his hand in a High Five motion.

Alisha smiled and happily clapped his hand in air. "Thank you! You weren't bad yourself. But I would have to say that your probably have the best reflexes I have ever seen. The first move you made, I didn't expect that to be parried by the Skeleton."

"Yeah, but we still got 10 more… Let's do this, partner." Kirito said.

Alisha nodded and they both set out for more minions. This time, getting their switching down, Alisha led some of them, and the two of them were done with their half of the minions soon after. They started to work on the remaining Skeletons until the whole room was cleared.

Upon clearing all minion, a large notification appeared telling them they have completed this challenge.

The four of them met up in the middle to discuss how they did.

"How did Alisha do Kirito?" Elena asked him.

"She did very well, once we defeated the first minion, we defeated the rest with ease," Kirito replied. "How about Asuna?"

"She did outstanding, I can see why you chose her," Elena said with a sly look on her face.

Asuna then blushed then started to go towards the next challenge. Kirito soon caught up with her, and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Kirito asked.

"Nothing…" she said with a smile on her face. "I just wanted to do this," she said, as she kiss him on the lips.

Kirito was taken back at first, but he soon melted into the kiss. Even though it was a virtual world, he could still feel the emotions of love, desire, and cravings in the kiss.

This was Asuna's way of telling Alisha and Elena that Kirito was his. That they have something that they don't have with him.

"See?" Elena said, pointing her finger at the couple kissing. "I told you they were more than friends.

"Yeah… I know Elena, but he defiantly something else," she said, but at the same time she was indeed upset at this.

_In-Game: 2__nd__ Floor 2__nd__, Challenge_

After Kirito and Asuna had their little moment, they were joined up with the two awaiting girls. Elena and Alisha opened the next door, leading to the next challenge.

The next challenge was a unique one. It was called, "King of the Hill." But the rules were different than the normal King of the Hill. The party of four must have one player stand in the center of the room the whole time, while the other party members are free to roam the space. There are a total of 5 waves each one harder than the next. After the waves are up, you win.

They decided that Elena would be the one to stand in the center of the room.

"Everyone ready?" Kirito called out.

"Yeah!" the three girls said at once. Kirito then started the third challenge…

...

The final wave started to come through, and unlike the previous ones, there were about 50 of them at once. The Skeletons were equipped with only one short sword, and they were pretty weak in terms of stats, but if there were multiple on you at once, things started to get tricky.

Soon after the wave started, everyone started to get overloaded with minions. Kirito was slashing every few seconds, and he himself was starting to get tired. Asuna was starting to get in the yellow zone for terms of health. And Alisha was starting to retreat more towards the center of the room.

They had a plan, they wouldn't let anything past them, but if they did, one must go and finish them, and no one was supposed to retreat.

But retreating more towards the center was the only option.

"THEY ARE TOO MANY OF THEM!" Kirito called out to Asuna, Alisha, and Elena.

Soon after there were about 75 of them ganging up on Alisha and Asuna, so Kirito was forced to finish his last few enemies off quickly. In doing so, he rushed over to their aid.

By the time he got over to them, there were about 20 more. And every time one of them died, about two or three more replaced them.

There was just no end to them…

* * *

><p><strong>Well?<strong>

**I was requested to state my Schedule for uploading chapters, and I considered it for a bit, and I will be uploading (Hopefully) every Saturday night.**

**So, the usual, I have some things I would like you to review on:**

****MMO names.** (Mainly because I have an outline for the next arc, but not a good enough name FOR the MMO. So PLEASE)**

**The fight scene (Was it good? What could I improve on those scenes? Things like that)**

**So please leave me comments on ^^^^^**

**Until next week!**

**Have a good week.**

**;)**


End file.
